Norwegian rider Soeren Waerenskjold attacked late and powered to victory in the fastest ever stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday while Tadej Pogačar protected his overall lead on the 11th day of racing.

Fastest Stage Ever

Waerenskjold finished just ahead of Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen and a host of other riders in a sprint finish that seemed inevitable on the relatively short and flat 161.3-kilometer (100.2-mile) route from Vichy to Nevers in central France.

Pogačar, who stretched his lead to more than 3½ minutes with his third stage win of this Tour on Tuesday, finished among a bunch of riders with his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard to maintain his advantage.

For the 26-year-old Waerenskjold, it was his first stage win, and no one seemed more surprised by it than himself.

With an average speed of 50.9 kph (31.6 mph), the riders set a record for a road stage on the Tour.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.